Making peace

Sunday’s Sacramento August Peace Event will commemorate the 61st anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event is meant to be both a memorial and a chance to discuss and promote nonviolent living and conflict resolution. Laura Slattery, the program coordinator for Pace e Bene’s nonviolence program, Engage: Exploring Nonviolent Living, is the featured speaker for the event, themed “Vision of Peace.” The program includes performances by Sacramento Taiko Dan and singer Suzan Tobin, and talks and discussion with various community peace activists and the Rev. Seicho Asahi of the Northern California Koyasan Temple. Children from the Sacramento Interactive Asian Contemporary Theatre group (InterACT) will present A Thousand Cranes, a play based on the story of Sadako Sasaki, an inhabitant of Hiroshima who was 2 years old at the time of the bombing. Because of her exposure, by age 11 Sasaki had contracted leukemia, called the “atom-bomb disease” because of its prevalence among survivors. In the hope of being granted a wish, Sasaki began folding paper cranes according to folklore. She folded more than a thousand cranes before succumbing to her illness at age 12. Peace Day is an opportunity for the community to stimulate local action toward peaceful interaction and conflict resolution. The event will take place at the Secretary of State Auditorium, at 1500 11th Street, and will feature refreshments and information from a number of local activist groups. Doors open at 3:30 p.m., and programs run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Donations, to be collected at the door, will run on a sliding scale. For more information, call (916) 685-1130.